I wish I canned produce from the garden during the summer, froze containers of home grown tomatoes to enjoy throughout the winter...I don't. We grow food and buy it from local farmers, we eat it, we serve to to others, we give away excess produce during the growing season. In the winter we eat more root vegetables, winter greens and the occasional fruit from far away tropical lands. Some years I do make something that preserves a local fruit of the garden that can be enjoyed during the colder months. Last year was a fantastic fig season and we dried lots of figs and used them throughout the winter. This year, hot sauce. Last week I bought several pounds of Thai Ascent Peppers from Path Valley Cooperative. We gave some out as parting gifts at a Home Restaurant, added them to a couple family meals last week and the rest became hot sauce that we will enjoy throughout the cold months.

To make the sauce I lightly coated the peppers in grapeseed oil, roasted them in a 375 degree oven for about 15-20 minutes, combined them in the blender with a salt, raw unfiltered apple cider vinegar and agave nectar to taste.